Community Voices: Marketing your business or organization online

Content marketing is all about promoting products and services online and through social media without coming off like a sales commercial. And for local community organizations seeking to attract additional followers to their websites or Facebook pages, it's worth knowing how content marketing can help.

Content marketing is all about promoting products and services online and through social media without coming off like a sales commercial. And for local community organizations seeking to attract additional followers to their websites or Facebook pages, it’s worth knowing how content marketing can help.

An effective content marketing campaign need not depend on flamboyant bells and whistles. In fact, the “less is more” approach works best when seeking to differentiate from the competition and build high levels of trust with current and potential customers or members.

So, how do you position yourself as an authority and maximize the potential for success via content marketing? Let’s break it down into a five-step process.

Define objectives: Take an honest stock of your goals. Is it to increase traffic to your website, grow Facebook presence, add to your email contacts or all of the above? The best way to quantify results is to focus on specific goals and then build content to meet those targets.

Create content: Successful content marketing is not a “throw spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks” endeavor. An effective marketing campaign is only as good as the specific content it conveys. The imperative is to gather data that will provide value to your intended audience; this information should position you as a distinct voice within your field. It can be collected by interviewing current customers, analyzing sales statistics, or by creating surveys on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Identify your audience: You can’t pinpoint the type, frequency and placement of content marketing unless you identify your audience and the ways in which they prefer to receive information. You can produce the most brilliant content but if not seen by your target audience, what good is it? Share your expertise on platforms where your target audience is most active. When a member of that audience comments on your content, engage them further by responding, extending thanks for their interest and asking for input on additional information they might find useful.

Be professional: Always be mindful of the fact that appearances count. If you’re taking the time and making the effort to add a content marketing campaign to your overall marketing mix, then do it right. Every element should be done professionally. That’s not to say that you can’t try your own hand at a blog — but when it comes to boosting your authority as an expert in your field, leave it up to the pros to impart messages that impress your current customers, influence potential consumers and ultimately advance your bottom line.

Evaluate response: Sure, the term analytics sounds cold, but how else can you determine what part of your content marketing strategy is working and what isn’t?

Page 2 of 2 - Competition for attention can be fierce out there, but with a solid content marketing strategy that places your audience’s wants and needs at center stage, you can build trust and brand yourself as a “go to” expert in your field.